Fort Collins bans fracking, courts lawsuit

The approved measure was developed in response to widening public concerns about increasing oil and gas operations along Colorado's heavily populated Front Range.

It amends Fort Collins' code to prohibit oil and gas operations, hydraulic fracturing and some waste storage within city limits.

Dozens of residents urged council members to protect them from oil and gas activity that they see as a threat to air and water, and pledged that "we've got your back" against state authorities "if you fight for us."Several other cities and counties have drafted or declared moratoriums on drilling while they try to craft local rules to address operations that increasingly are conducted close to communities and may threaten residents' health.

Last week, the governor told CBS4 that he would move forward with a lawsuit against any municipality that passed such a ban.

“Nothing," he stated, "makes me less happy then to have to be in a lawsuit with a municipality."

Currently, the state is the middle of a lawsuit against Longmont, which was the first in the state to pass such a ban.

It would appear that nature has made such a ban for Colorado Springs a moot issue. Due to "disappointing" results from Ultra Petroleum's exploration of its El Paso County, the Texas-based company has stated that it has no interest in further exploring the petroleum.

Hilcorp Energy Company, which also holds permits in the county, is still evaluating the results from its most recent well, says Justin Furnace, corporate manager of Hilcorp's external affairs.